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If you're looking for a way to block porn and adult content on the computers in your house, FamilyShield from OpenDNS is a new free tool that can quickly give you a tool to restrict what your kids are looking up online. Unlike other software tools, which need to run on a specific device, FamilyShield is enabled through settings on your router -- the device that allows your computers and other web-enabled devices to share an Internet connection -- which means that it will block unwanted content from any device connected to it; such as a Wii, iPad, iPod Touch or Nintendo DS."The absolute simplest and most straightforward way for parents to protect kids from the bad stuff online." is how David Ulevitch, Founder and CEO of OpenDNS, describes the new Internet filtering tool in the announcement, adding that this solution doesn't require any software to be installed and can be set up in a matter of minutes.

FamilyShield requires no registration and works with 18 different brands of routers.During the setup process OpenDNS will walk users through the settings for your specific model so that you don't have to guess at where to click.

FamilyShield is continually updated by OpenDNS and blocks sites with pornographic content including sites in its "pornography," "tasteless," and "sexuality" categories. The tool also blocks many of the common methods for circumventing adult content filtering software such as proxies. The tool also provides a first line of defense against malware and phishing attempts, though it shouldn't replace a good anti-virus solution and common sense.

OpenDNS uses a collection of methods to categorize and block websites. The first, PhishTank is a crowdsourced tool which relies on a group of tens of thousands of users to report suspected phishing and malware sites. From there a second group verifies that the sites are malicious and adds them to the database to be blocked.

In a very similar manner OpenDNS' FamilyShield uses domain tagging to categorize websites. In addition to third party partnerships, users can submit sites for specific categories, like "pornography". These submissions are voted on by other users and there are systems in place to prevent rigging of site categorization. This method also helps put websites into the correct category since the definition of porn and adult content varies between individuals. OpenDNS has a category called "adult themes" that can be used as a category for sites that the voters feel is adult, but is not pornography.

The "adult themes" category is not blocked by default in FamilyShield but it can be blocked easily, along with 56 other categories in the FamilyShield settings.

One problem with many filtering solutions is that the software has a problem distinguishing educational sites covering sexual topics. FamilyShield doesn't claim to be perfect in this regard, but in a phone interview Ulevitch told WalletPop that the system should do a better job at figuring out if a website is about breast cancer or just about breasts than filtering software that uses heuristics to automatically determine the content of a website. He added that parents can customize FamilyShield by changing the blocked categories and "whitelisting" (allowing) specific websites. Additionally, when a user sees a page they believe is inappropriately blocked, they can report it to OpenDNS for a review.

While FamilyShield is likely not impossible to get around, it appears to offer an easy, yet solid, way to control the content viewed on your home network. A tool like FamilyShield is part of a safe computing solution for children and should be pared with parental monitoring. KidsHealth.org provides good tips for getting involved in kids' online activities and safe surfing tips for teens; which can help you make informed decisions about your child's online activities.